Apparatus for forging wheel-blanks.



APPARATUSIFOR PORGING WHEEL-BLANKS.v

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'UNITED STATES 4PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN M. HANSEN, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR '10 'FORGED STEEL WHEEL COMPANY, PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION 0F PENNSYLVANIA.

APPARATUS Fon FORGING wrrEEL-BLANKS.

Specification of' Letters Patent.

i Patented Sept. 17, 1907.

Application nea May 19.1906. serai No. 317,734.

To all' whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN M. HANSEN, a resident of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and Stateiof Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement. in Apparatus for Forging Wheel-Blanks; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof. p V

My invention relates to dies for forged steel car or other wheels, its object being to provide means for forging blanks which can by subsequent forging operations be transformed into finished wheels, and in so doing to so operate upon the metal as to produce'the wheel with little or no scrap, condense the metal and force the metal displaced in forming the web into the hub cavity of the dies to aid in` forming the hub portion of the wheel'. The dies are adapted for the'practic of part of the method set forth in an application filed by me of even date herewith, Serial No. 317,733.

The apparatus comprises, generally stated, the corn-i g means working to' develop the blank, as hereinafter completion of the forming of the hub portion of the- The different dies and other parts of the apparatus are intended to be connected to a powerful presis such as a hydraulic press having the different movements necessary for their operation and for the development of the blank. It is not considered necessary to illustrate the different die actuating mechanisms.` I will describe the apparatus in connection with the operation of the same upon the blank in its `i`il`ferent steps of formation so that their purpose may app earclear.

A suitable blank 1 is raised to a proper foging heat and is placed upon the bottom die 2 which is a femalev die hav-ing a bowl-shaped cavity 3, and`preferably having at the upper edge a series of steps 4 for centeringthe blank upon the die. l ,As shown in the drawing the cavity 3 of the bowlshaped die preferably has its upper portion 5 formed substantially vertical, below which there is the inclined web forming portionu which, as shown, is'conthe manufacture 'of nected to the upper portion 5 by means of a curved convex face 7.

Belowl the web forming portion 6 and connected therewith by a like curve is the central hub forming i diameter than the mouth or upper lportion ofthe Y bowl-shaped. cavity'3 of the lower die so that when it fits therein there is left the rim forming cavity 13.

The lower portion of the die 12 has the annular curved projection 14 preferably having the form shown, and within the same is the hub forming cavity 15, the die also having a central opening 16 for the passage of the punch 17 which coperates with the punch 10 as hereafter stated. The web forming portion 6 of the lower die and the annular projection 14 ofthe upper die are so formed that when engaging the metal blank it forces the metal inwardly toward the hub, and in nal position preferably brings the web portion 18 of the blank to substantially nished thickness, the metal displaced flowing inwardly to aid in developing the hub. i v

The manner in which the annular projection 14 of the male die engages with the blank is shown in Fig. 2, first bending the blank into substantially bowl-form, contacting with the blank as it presses it down with its outer curved face 21 and bringing the llank first" into contact with the annular convex face of the lower die so that as it binds the blank at that point but little of the metal is forced in to the rim cavity 13, the mass of the metal in forming the web being forced to flow inwardly into the hub cavity between the two dies such as that formed by the central cavities 8 and 15, this b eing well shown in Fig. 3. the saine time the tread or rim forming portion 19 is turned upwardly and the blank is brought in to concavdconvex form, preferably substantially into bowl-form as shown.

It will be noticedthat the wpb forming portion of the dies is connected to the riln forming portion thereof, by a gradual curve. This is desirable because it is the point of greatest bend in forming the concave-convex blank from the flat' slab, and by thinning the metal at this point and providing for the gradual curving thereof liability to cracking of the outer portion of the metal yis overcome.

While 1 prefer-.to develop the hub by the particular i punches and'mandrel illustrated in -the drawing, it is evident that any suitable means for developing the hub upon the blank formed by the remainder of the dies can be employed.

After the top die l2 is brought down to place, in order tiallyhnished thickness, and in so doing utilize thel to further develop the hub the central punching dies 10 and 17 are advanced, operating'nthe metal as it is confined within the hub cavitiesofthe dies so that itA cannot spread into the lweb portions thereotandthereby cause the metal tov lowjlongitudinaly around the punches upwardly and downwardly,AA and nearlyv -frll the hnb forming cavities 8 and =15,as shown in Fig. 4. The ends 23 and 24 of thel punches 10 and 17, which are rounded as ehown'act to spread the metal in'this way, `thejpunches nearly meeting within the body oi the blanklea-.vng a thin central web 22. While the blank is so confined within the dies the punch 'l0 is lowered .out ofthe central opening 9 and the piercing mandrel r11-'is .substituted therefor. `The upper punch 17 is -raiselfor set free to be `raised and the piercing mandrel 1l isforced upwardly through the blank, as shown in Fig. 5, so' piercing the blank and spreading the metal to substantially fill the hub forming cavities 8 and vl5 and inthis way complete the formation of the blank.

In the above operations it will be seer that l am en; abled to forge from a fiat slab a blank having an annular upturned rim or. tread forming portion 19 adapted for subsequent iforging into the rim or tread of the;

wheel; also to 'bring the web portions 18 to substan- .rmetal displaced by forcing it inwardly to aid in fortning the hub, substantially all the metal so displaced being utilized in developing the hub becausel of the first engagement of the dies with the blank near the .outer edge of the web forming portion thereof; and also to utilize all the metal so obtainedfrom the web forming portion and all the metal in the central part 'of the original blank for developing the hub, spreading it upwardly and downwardly so as to substantially fill the hub cavity7 and finally spreading the remainder of the metal in sucluvay asv to complete the formation of the hub. i

Wha-tl claim is:

'1. 'In apparatus for forgglugl wheel blanks, the combination of two forging dies having a hub forming cavity .between them. and weh forming faces, the web forming faces of said illes approaching most closely near the outer portion of the and thereby actin'gzto force the metal of Said web portion invvardlyinto,l the hub cavity.

.2..In apparatus for forging wheel blanks, the corn- -biuation of s, male die anda' -fei'nale die havinga hub y portion of the web forming cavity and thereby nctigto 'force the metal inwardly into the hub cavity.

4. In apparatus. for forging wheel. blanks, the' combination of a female die, and a mule die of less diameter than the female die, each die having a central hub forming Y cavity, and said'dies having web forming faces approaching most cios'eiy at the outer portion of the web forming -on different levels in combination with a male die adapted to enter the female die.

6. In apparatus for forging car wheels, the combination of dies having web forming faces approaching most closely near the outer portion of the web and a central hub forming cavity between them, each die having a central opening communicating' with the hub cavity, a pnrof cooperating: indenting punches fitting in saidcentral opening of said dies and mounted to" advance after the closing of the dies and thereby punch the hub portion of the blank and spread the metal within the hub cavity.'

7. ln apparatus for forging wheel blanks, the com.- hination of a bowl-shaped female die having the upper portion of its cavity provided with vertical walls and its bottom ybeingy concavo-convex on radial lines, and a male die of smaller diameter than the female die arranged to enter said female die and having un annular web reducing face cooperatingr with the convex portion of the bottom of the female die. the space between said dies forming an annular rim' cavity and said dies having a centrally arranged hub forming, cavity.

In testimony whereof, I the said JOHN hereunto set my hand. A, I

' .TOI-IN M. HANSEN.

M. HANSEN have 

